The full story...

Valerie Adams gets her gold

DAVID MARK: The London Olympics may have finished six weeks ago, but you'd never have known it this week in New Zealand.

Games fever is still running high, and with good reason.

New Zealand correspondent, Dominique Schwartz, reports.

(Chariots of Fire playing)

MC AT MEDAL CEREMONY: Ladies and gentlemen, the gold medallist in the women's shotput, representing New Zealand, Valerie Adams.

(Cheering crowd)

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: Twenty-seven-year-old New Zealand shot-putter, Valerie Adams, is New Zealand's golden girl. Not just because she won gold at the London Olympics, but because she had to wait until she got home this week before being awarded her medal. It's been one heck of a journey.

VALERIE ADAMS: Thank you so much to the public of New Zealand for your love and your support and your continued confidence in myself as an athlete. I do this for you, and I do this for our country. Thank you so much.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: It takes a special kind of mental stamina to be an Olympian, to weather the blood, sweat and tears of training, to stare down opponents, and more importantly, to quell those internal demons.

Val Adams has been tested on all those fronts and more.

She went into the Games as the defending Olympic and world champion in her sport, with two dozen consecutive wins under her belt. In most Kiwi minds, Adams was unbeatable.

She sailed through the heats and into the finals.

But an administrative error by a New Zealand team official meant her name was left off the list of finalists.

Under the rules, she was out.

At the last moment, the problem was sorted and Adams went on to throw the shotput further than she did to win in Beijing four years earlier.

But it was nowhere near the 21.36 metres clocked up in a surprise performance by Belarusian Nadzeya Ostapchuk.

After the medal presentation, a teary Adams made no excuses and apologised to New Zealanders for letting them down.

She conceded that she'd let the pre-final drama get to her.

Kiwis were disappointed, but sympathised.

Adams went back to Switzerland to train for her next round of competitions, and that was that, for another four years.

Or so everyone thought. But the rollercoaster wasn't over.

The Olympics closing ceremony had just run its course when Adams got a life-changing phone call.

Drug tests had revealed that her Belarusian rival had been taking a banned steroid.

Adams was now the gold medal winner.

(NZ national anthem playing)

All Adams wanted, she said, was to get her medal with her friends and family around, and the New Zealand anthem playing.

And so it was in Auckland this week, with the governor-general, Sir Jerry Mataparae, doing the honours.

SIR JERRY MATAPARAE: Ms Adams, this ceremony, as you have heard, is the first time an Olympic gold medal has been presented in New Zealand.

I trust that this modest ritual will go some way in giving you the acknowledgment, the satisfaction, and the honour that you rightfully deserve.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: A former workmate, Geraldine Koopman, was in the crowd.

GERALDINE KOOPMAN: You know, Val has got resilience.

She's got that 'wow' factor which makes her bounce back.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: I suppose it shows the mark of a champion?

GERALDINE KOOPMAN: Absolutely.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: And there were plenty of young fans as well.

YOUNG GIRL 1: She didn't do any drugs, and she went there clean.

That's just really awesome, no one can beat her.

YOUNG GIRL 2: She's really good, and quite big.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: (Laughing) And you're quite small.

YOUNG GIRL 2: Yeah.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: As for Valerie Adams, she was soaking up the hometown glory, and not giving up on getting glory in front of an Olympic stadium in Rio in four years time.

VALERIE ADAMS: Tonight's just been absolutely amazing. Very overwhelming.

The reception at the airport to right now is absolutely fantastic. Nothing out of my imagination, though, you know?

This is all perfect.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: Do you still feel robbed that you weren't able to stand up in front of that Olympic crowd?

VALERIE ADAMS: She robbed the moment, but today I've just had my moment, so this makes up for every other moment that I've missed.

It's sport, we cannot control what happens, it's the way it is, we've just got to move on.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: And the next Olympics, you'll be there?

VALERIE ADAMS: I hope so, I hope so.

As long as the body's in one piece, I'm cool. I'm good to go.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: For Correspondents Report, this is Dominique Schwartz in Auckland.